AUSTIN, Texas—Business owner Joshua Carter and his wife Ashley, a musician, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ first show at the Long Center for the Performing Arts on Jan. 2.
Though Mr. Carter had no idea what to expect when he stepped into the theater, by the end of the evening, he said happily that he was “very enthralled” and amazed by the dancers’ grace and strength.
“Oh my gosh, I loved water sleeves,” he exclaimed. “I loved how the ladies seemed to just glide across the floor. Their legs are moving but their upper bodies are just gliding across. I was blown away by that. I thought it was the best thing ever. … And I love how robust the men were and were really powerful in their jumps.”
The water-sleeves Mr. Carter referred to were a feature of ancient Chinese feminine attire, symbolizing humility and grace. Light and airy, the long sleeves billow and flow on stage, evoking the gentle movement of water.
Mrs. Carter also found the performance “beautiful, fabulous and engaging the whole time.” “Getting to see this beautiful, on-stage performance was everything,” she said.
“I’m a new fangirl of the erhu. I need to write a song for that,” she said. “I have a piece that I wrote [using] a jade flute, but I might switch it to the erhu for the melody. That was awesome—so technically advanced. It was beautiful.”
“So impressive,” Mrs. Carter said. “I was wondering the whole time how [the dancers] got that timed just right to enter the screen and leave the screen.”
The Carters said they would absolutely recommend the show to their friends and family.
“If you have the opportunity to spend your money on this and you don’t, you’re crazy,” Mr. Carter said. Mrs. Carter described Shen Yun as “a once in a lifetime experience.”
